You are who you choose to be
by DanTheMan2150AD
Summary: You could be dealt the worst hand in a game of cards yet still come out winning. For we are what we choose to be and what we choose is to defy fate. The story of a solider and the choices he makes. For better or for worse. This story is happening synchronously with the main story. I went through a lot of trauma in my childhood so this is personal to me.
1. Chapter 1

_You could be dealt the worst hand in a game of cards yet still come out winning, life has a funny way of showing us. Not the Ha-ha type of funny, but more the beat you senseless until others laugh type of funny. Sometimes even the most unlikely of people rise to the challenge while most take life one day at a time. The world can be a beautiful place once in a while, filled with friends, family, laughter and even love. But fate finds a way of tearing these away from us when we least expect it…_

 _This is the story of one such individual and the hand he was dealt._

 **Cue Guren no Zahyou**

 ***Year 847, Two years after the fall of wall Maria… 104** **th** **Cadet Corps training grounds***

Today finally arrived. The members of the 104th Cadet Corps lined up after putting on their uniforms for the very first time. Commandant Shadis came down the line picking up on the most minor of infractions that could, if he wanted to, be worthy of his divine judgement. Hidden amongst the troop, stood a boy, no more than 14. The short brown hair sat atop his head in an unkempt way, with patches sticking out all over the place, there was simply no time to style it this morning, he was too excited. His face had a soft expression to it yet a rough chin with the stubble he refused to shave making him look older than he was. His eyes were said to be his most alluring feature, two blue orbs staring straight ahead with a burning fire, that looked ready to escape. He stood tall at an impressive 6'0", yet slender with no defining muscles to speak of, tall and lean. Lanky if you will. His family were always on the short side; he had been the first to ever break the 6'0" barrier, although his younger brother was catching up. But even he paled in comparison to the boys stood next to him, one blond, the other dark. Most of the Cadets only remembered him for the dog tags he never took off, rumoured had it that he once fought off 2 members of the Garrison just to get them back, although no one understood why. Engraved on those tags were his name, Daniel Tadayoshi, and a single sentence…

"One day, you will remember who you are, for you are who you chose to be."

14 years had gone by, yet he still had no idea what it meant. Hopefully, someday it would make sense. He was too stubborn to let this go. Shadis strolled past Daniel, before abruptly stopping and taking a few steps back till he drew level with the boy again. His hard gaze bore down on his, the trepidation in the air was so high it was like water, the Cadets could barely breathe. Finally, after what seemed slower than the average anime filler episode, Shadis spoke up.

"So… Tadayoshi… you here to cause trouble again? Because if you are…" Shadis lower himself to meet Daniel eye to eye. "You might as well grab your shit and run now. How many officers did you put in the infirmary again? Two was it?" The other cadets started murmuring. Daniel felt all the conversations wash over him yet stayed stood to attention and kept his eyes firmly on Shadis, this would not be the man who breaks him, not today.

"So, the rumours are true."

"No way he could do that, look at him."

"Why would he do that? What sort of thing would possess a man to do something like that?"

"SILENCE" Shadis roared, the entire corps went silent instantly and returned to attention just as quickly.

He reached out to the silent cadet and lift the dog tags up in his hands. "All for these silly little things… Really boy. You still haven't answered my question cadet. Are you here to cause trouble?"

"No." Daniel finally spoke, his voice dripping in dullness. Honestly, of all the people he had to deal with on his first day, he didn't think Shadis would be one of them. They met briefly about 4 years ago…

 ***Year 843, Commander Pixis' Office, Trost District***

A knock at the door brought the Commander out of his report.

"Captain, get the door please." He stated, putting down his quill and clasped his hands together in front of his face. Kitz Woermann walked over to the door and opened it, keeping one arm behind his back at all times. A young boy was shoved into the office falling to the floor after taking a few steps. He quickly picked himself up and turned to stare at the aggressor. Commander Shadis stood at the door arms folded disinterestedly.

"Thank you, Commander, you may go now." Pixis dismissed with a wave of his hand. Shadis gave a half-hearted salute before turning on his heels and swiftly leaving. Kitz closed the door and returned to his original spot beside Pixis, glaring at the boy as he went. "So, my dear boy, would care to explain your actions today?" Pixis said in a pleasant voice addressing the young man standing in front of him. The boy was silent for a long time but eventually spoke up.

"Your brutes took my dog tags." He said bitterly.

"That's all?" Pixis sounded impressed, "You put two men in the infirmary for those?" he gestured at the tags around the boy's neck. "I must say I am truly surprised, outraged but surprised. Nevertheless, this cannot go unpunished, step forward please." He made a few notes, Kitz noticed that the boy hadn't moved.

"The Commander ordered you to step forward brat." He snarled stepping forward and grabbing him by the arm, yanking him forward a couple of steps. Before standing behind the boy glaring at him.

"Tut, tut, tut Captain." Pixis condescendingly waved his finger at him. "That's not setting a great example of the military to the boy, is it?"

"But… Sir…" Kitz began before Pixis hardened his stare causing the Captain to backtrack a few. "Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir." He sighed defeatedly. Pixis returned to look at the young boy, almost as if he was sizing him up.

"What's your name, young man?" Pixis finally asked.

"Daniel Tadayoshi," he said reluctantly. He kept pulling at his dog tags in a rather odd way, he looked very uncomfortable. Pixis' blood went cold.

"Did you say Tadayoshi?" he asked shocked.

"Yes."

"Now, that's a name I haven't heard in a long time," Pixis whispered quietly only so he could hear himself. After some careful thinking, he decided on a suitable outcome. "Captain. Leave us." Pixis ordered. Kitz was taken aback.

"Sir, I must protest…"

"Captain, I believe I gave you an order." Pixis hated to re-enforce his command but it looked as if he had no choice in the matter. Kitz reluctantly saluted and marched out of the room closing the door with a fairly audible slam. Pixis waited a few minutes before speaking again. "Now then, Daniel, I am willing to cut you a deal. I will see to it that you aren't punished, and your record will be wiped clean of any past transgressions…"

"What's the catch?" Daniel asked almost bored out his own mind.

"I was just getting to that, you should learn to speak only when people have finished. But what I was going to say was, when you are old enough, you join the Military." Pixis finished. His expression had hardened, the smile he had at the beginning had gone as if it was never there, to begin with. Daniel gave this a lot of thought, but in the end, he agreed. "Thank you, Daniel, you may now leave. I don't expect to see you again for a while. Until we meet again."

 ***Year 847, 104** **th** **Cadet Corps training grounds***

"No, what?!" Shadis asked again, he raised his right hand and brought it down. Hard. He had delivered a back blow to the side of Daniel's face, it sounded like a melon had been dropped onto concrete. Daniel did not flinch and simply took the blow, turning his head in order to endure the punishment. There were audible gasps from the surrounding cadets, but one took Daniel's notice instantly, he hadn't noticed her until now. She had leaned forward ever so slightly, appearing from beside the taller blond boy to Daniel's right. Blonde hair hung from her head, with strands drooped in front of her eyes. The eyes. That's what caught the boy's attention the most, her eyes were the most piercing set of blue he had ever seen, even more than his own. Unfortunately, he couldn't take in every feature as Shadis had decided he deserved another slap. This one Daniel wasn't prepared for and instead the hit managed to knock him down.

"NO, WHAT?!" Shadis shouted for the third time. Daniel didn't even look at him instead of keeping both his hands and his eyes on the dirt of which he was now in.

"No, Sir." He delivered in a deadpan voice. However, that wasn't enough for Shadis as he pulled the boy up by his collar, lifting him clean off of the ground.

"I couldn't hear you, cadet, speak up!" he shouted in Daniel's face, saliva flying from his mouth like a wave breaking on the beach.

"NO, SIR!" Daniel shouted back, Shadis dropped the boy back onto his feet and moved onto his next victim of abuse. The murmurs had died down the moment Daniel had landed back on his feet, nobody else wanted to incur the wrath of Shadis. The side of his face was hurting like crazy, but he didn't dare move his hand in order to rub it, instead, he went back to just to the salute in hopes that Shadis didn't come back to him. Luckily that was the last he saw of Shadis for the rest of the day as he turned his wrath on a few other cadets. Most notably a boy named Connie Springer, who Shadis lifted a few feet off of the ground by his head alone, due to a minor fault in the boys' salute; and Sasha Blouse who had the gall to eat a potato during Shadis inspection, but what was even more shocking is when she spilt the potato in half and offered it to the Commandant. He took the extremely small half of the potato without saying a word. Although, he made run around the entire training camp until the sun went down and to add insult to injury took away her food rations for the entire week as what he called a light punishment. The blond boy stood next to Daniel whispered something to Daniel that he never would have expected from him. Compassion, he had obliviously read the boy completely wrong, he expected a thug but got almost the opposite.

"You alright man? Shadis hit you pretty hard." The blond boy didn't break formation when he said this, possibly down to not wanting to attract the attention of Shadis' ire.

"I'll be fine," Daniel replied. He'd been through a lot worse, even showing the scars for it. They stayed firmly under his long shirt. Although he never told or showed them to anyone other than his younger brother, he was the only family member who gave a damn and showed any sympathy. His grandfather had been the only other, but he disappeared a long time ago, nobody knows why; one day he was sat at home, the next he was gone. Officially, his disappearance was ruled down to being relieved from duty by the Scouts and that he was being redeployed to the Garrison. Unofficially it was said he left the safety of the walls, although Daniel had always theorised for an ulterior motive, as the Garrison reported they had never heard of his grandfather's name until the boy asked.

"Name's Reiner, by the way." The blond spoke up again. "Reiner Braun. I'd shake your hand, but you know, Shadis." He finished with a roll of the eyes.

"Daniel Tadayoshi." He replied bluntly. "Although you and the entire troop probably already worked that out from how it was shouted across the world. I bet even the Titans know." Reiner chuckled at the dryness that oozed from Daniel's voice.

"You like to tell it as it is," he laughed, "I can see me and you going far together."

"Must I repeat myself?" Shadis managed to shout from the other end of the formation. Reiner rectified his stance to showcase his intense salute further.

"No, Sir!" he yelled back. Shadis simply glared at the boys before he finally finished his chastisement of the troop, he had managed to break some already. Daniel could see them walking away with their rucksacks looking utterly shaken.

"If they thought this was bad, the rest of us are in for a bigger shock." He thought aloud. Shadis finally dismissed the remaining troops, allowing them so free time in order to get settled in before dinner. Well, everyone except poor Sasha. Reiner grabbed hold of Daniel's shoulder and spun the boy around, so they were face to face. Reiner then took a step back and held his right arm out for a proper handshake. Daniel accepted, gripping tightly, as his grandfather had taught him, anything less would be disrespectful to friendships and fellow brothers-in-arms.

"I owed you that handshake. Hell, that's quite a grip you've got there. Anyway, like I said I'm Reiner and allow me to introduce you to my best friend," suddenly the taller dark-haired boy appear just to his right. "Daniel, this is-"

"Bertolt Hoover, right?" Daniel finished for him, Reiner was at a loss for words.

"How'd you know that?!" Reiner asked in amazement.

"I don't know," Daniel replied. "Somehow I've always been good at guessing like I can see things before they happen, but not always, it's almost as if it's selective." Reiner and Bertolt simply looked at each other in amazement before they simply shrugged it off.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Daniel, I can call you that right? Do you have a preference?" Bertolt smiled towards him. Extending his hand for a shake which Daniel gladly took. For someone so imposing he was incredibly polite.

"Likewise, and no I don't have a preference, you two seem like decent guys, so just call me whatever's easier." Daniel let go of Bertolt's hand, Bertolt briefly looked at his hand curiously almost as if he could see something on it, although he quickly brushed it off. "Anyway, I'll catch you guys at dinner, I gotta go unpack." He bid the boys bye, for now, turning on his heels and left. After they were sure Daniel was out of earshot, Reiner turned to Bertolt.

"He's one to keep an eye on. Kid's got talent, we need to watch out for him." Reiner stated matter of factly.

Daniel walked straight to the bunkhouse in order to at least get settled before he could even think about going for one of his usual sunset walks after dinner. As he came to the door of his room, he collided into someone on their way out, knocking them both over in the process. Daniel quickly picked himself up and dusted off his trousers.

"Oh, Christ. I'm sorry abou-" He cut himself off when on the ground in front of him was the blonde-haired girl from earlier. Blue eyes still as intense as ever. Daniel finally managed to take a good look at her, she was a whole foot shorter than him, so he was very unlikely not to bump into her at some point. Daniel very quickly drank in her features and shook his head to bring himself back to reality. She was giving him a colder stare to the more inquisitive one he had early. There was a pregnant pause in the air before he quickly decided to introduce himself to try and calm to the situation. He offered her his hand before adding, "Sorry, my name's Daniel Tadayoshi. Are you alright miss...?" He left the miss hanging in order for her to finish it for him, she instead, however, gripped his hand and hauled herself up, almost crushing the boy's hand in the process.

"Leonhart, Annie Leonhart. Yes, I know who you are mister Tadayoshi. The Commandant shouted it across the field today. Now, if you don't plan on flatting me again today, why are you here?" Her voice carried a certain gravitas to it that made a chill rush up the boy's spine.

"I've been assigned to this room, and by my amazing powers of deduction, one can only assume we're bunkmates…" He felt extremely uncomfortable just saying the words, but he didn't plan on showing it. "So, have you already chosen which bunk you want?" he asked, desperately, in order to elevate this incredibly awkward situation.

"Yeah. I took the top." Annie deadpanned. "I'll catch you later, I'm going for dinner." She left too fast for Daniel to even say anything back, so simply shrugged his shoulders and entered the room.


	2. Chapter 2

_The boy will come to terms with his existence in time, but I fear he won't survive to see it through to completion._

 _Then you'd best hope for your own sake, Adaranth, he does._

 **Cue Guren no Zahyou**

A girl roommate, how quaint. Daniel almost couldn't believe it himself, although he had things to do, he would leave the freaking out till later. He slung his backpack in and straight onto the lower bunk, the top opening as it sailed across the room spilling clothes and an assortment of personal belongings onto the ground. One item hit the floor with a more audible *clang* than the rest of them. The Flintlock. Daniel sighed and tidied up the clothes that had spilt out over the floor and started hanging them up, the whole time the Flintlock sat there, completely undisturbed, looming over the room with a presence one could not describe. It was eating away at the boy, he felt it egging him on, he wanted to throw the thing away. He wanted to be rid of it. However, something inside him told him that he would regret that later. So, it came with him everywhere, his grandfather had always said he'd know what to do when the time came. That's all he ever got. 'You'll know when the time comes.' He thought to himself. Words that followed him everywhere, seemingly hiding in plain sight. The boy couldn't stand the impending presence of that thing anymore, he slammed the wardrobe doors shut with such a force the whole room shook. He marched over to it and scooped it up in one movement, he strolled towards his bunk and shoved the damn thing under his pillow, albeit haphazardly. The engravings on the bottom of the handle remained visible without looking hard enough. He slumped onto the bed with his head in his hands, why must his life be such a mystery to him. Shouldn't he know anything? After some thought, the boy rose with a heavy sigh and started gathering the strewn belongings from the floor. In a very short amount of time, everything had been collected. Everything except the photo, the one thing he treasured just as much as his dog tags. He picked up the frame and sighed again. Unfortunately, he had cracked it but only across his own face, at least his brother stood next to him completely untouched by his careless nature. He remained in a crouched position, staring at the item, remembering his brother. The blond boy was 3 years younger yet had shown his sibling more care than any of his parents did. With the painful memories returning he walked over to a nearby dresser and placed the photo faced down. His hand lingered on it very briefly before he made his way back to the door and opened it. In front of him stood a brown-haired boy, no more than 5'7", his arm was raised as if he was about to knock. He jumped back a step when the door had opened, he cleared his throat and with an experienced voice, spoke his first words to Daniel.

"Hey, Daniel, right? My name's Eren, I'm bunking in the room just across from you, you alright? I thought I heard you drop a couple of things." Eren seemingly bombarded Daniel with a million questions that he didn't really answer, occasionally nodding and grunting a reply. Daniel held up a hand briefly, interrupting Eren who quickly stopped talking.

"Look not to be rude man, but did you just come here to bug me? I was about to go get dinner." Daniel said, exhaling.

"No, no, I was just about to head there myself. Can I tag along with you?" Eren replied like he hadn't just been told to bog off. Daniel simply nodded before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him keeping his back to the room at all times. He gestured for Eren to lead to the way and followed closely behind him. Although it was a short walk, it was a silent one. They approached the food hall and walked up the steps. Daniel opened the door for them both and was immediately hit with the waft of potatoes. Stepping inside revealed a large hall with pillars lining the centre. Tables where placed millimetrically perfect apart from one another, there had been a multitude of conversations going on as they entered but they died out the moment people realised who had just walked in. Surveying the room Daniel could see his roommate Annie, tucked away in the corner by herself, while the rest of the cadets were haphazardly spread out across the tables. Some gathered in groups, while others sat in twos.

"Please, don't bother getting up." Daniel joked in a half-hearted way. He was greeted with hundreds of stares as he made his way over to collect his food and tray. Although he didn't let it get to him, he really wished something else would take the attention away. Eren meanwhile had gone and sat with, what Daniel could only assume were his friends, a dark-haired girl and a short blond boy. While standing the queue with his tray, Daniel looked around, as he did cadets that were staring at him all quickly looked away, well all besides one, Annie. She gave him a stare that looked more akin to a predator sizing up its prey, she eventually broke her stare and went back to looking disinterestedly at her food, although out of the corner of his eye Daniel could see her occasionally glance up at him again. It was disconcerting for the boy. He shuffled forward excruciatingly slowly, and after what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the front of the queue. But fate was not on his side today, they had run out of food… 'Fuck it.' He thought he simply dropped his tray on top of the stack and went to walk back to the bunkhouse. Suddenly an extremely load whistle caught everyone's attention, Daniel turned to the source of the noise to find Reiner standing out of his seat with two fingers leaving his mouth. He moved his head in an indication to come and sit next to him and sat down again. Daniel trudged over to Reiner and sat down next to him, placing his hands on the table and twiddled his thumbs. Reiner nudged him with his elbow.

"Relax kid. I'm offering to spilt some of our food with you. Ain't that right Bertolt?" He looked over at his friend inquisitively, already knowing the guy would agree. Bertolt looked up, he was just put the last of his bread into his mouth, he looked down at the bread again, he sighed before slowly removing the food from his open mouth and setting it down on the table. Daniel just looked at the thing.

"It's alright, I'm not hungry anyway," Daniel mumbled, closing his eyes and putting his hands together with his index fingers pointing up in a thinking motion. Bertolt reached and took the bread picking it back up again. Suddenly, a fork flew through the air and skewered itself through Bertolt's bread. He let out a surprised yelp as it happened quickly withdrawing his hand from the bread as he saw it vanish from his hands. He turned and saw Annie standing from exactly where the fork had come from with a half smirk on her face. "I was wondering when you'd come over here, it's not like I didn't notice you walk up to the table. Same can't be said for these two." Daniel said gesturing to the 2 boys. He sighed and opened his eyes again, before turning to the girl. Annie said nothing and instead walked over and took a seat next to Bertolt. She stared at Daniel, analysing him, his movements, his words even the small facial twitches he made. She looked down at the dog tags dangling around his neck, she reached out to look at them closely, instinctively Daniel grabbed her arm and hauled it upwards. She was lifted from her seat and half above the table staring directly into the boy's eyes, her face unchanged by this sudden movement.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked quirking an eyebrow upwards. Daniel stared the girl down; the entire hall had gone completely silent with most of the cadets backing away from the confrontation. Reiner remained totally unmoved while Bertolt had a look of utter horror on his face. Eventually, Daniel's grip slacked, and he let the girl go, she was putting up a surprising amount of resistance.

"It's both a reflex and a warning, I don't know if you heard Shadis this morning, but the last guys who touched these wound up in the infirmary for a few weeks," Daniel said in a darker tone than usual. The whole hall was still tranquil, everyone had put some distance between the confrontation and themselves. Daniel stood up and left without saying a word, the cadets made way for him as he left. The hall returned to life a moment later, with everyone continuing with their conversations.

"Annie, we need to talk," Reiner announced to the two of them. He finished the last of his potato and promptly left, the others following closely behind him. They made their way over to the training grounds where Reiner promptly stopped and turned to the both of them. He did not look pleased. "Jesus Christ, Annie. What are you trying to do? We need to keep an eye on this kid, and we can't do that if you're gonna pull shit like that. Fucking pull it together!" Annie thought for a while, even sharing a sideways glance with Bertolt, before opening her mouth to speak.

"You know," a voice from the evening shadows called out to them. "Next time you wanna talk about someone, make sure they aren't standing literally 10 feet away." The ice in the voice chilled Bertolt's bones to the marrow, as he turned to Daniel emerge from the shadows. Reiner could only sigh and look defeated. Yet, Annie remained unmoved but noticed something off about the boy. He had taken off his cadet jacket and rolled up his left sleeve, yet it was covered up by his right hand, he was quite clearly trying to hide something on that arm. She said nothing about it though and just allowed him to roll his sleeve back down, she raised an eyebrow at this of which he clocked. He gave her a look that said, 'I'll show you later.' Although the other two didn't seem to pick up on this. Daniel just wanted some time to think and here these three were, so he did something he never thought he would ever do. He reached up to his neck and, wrapping his hands around the chain, lifted the dog tags off of his neck. He never broke eye contact with the three while he did this. Looking at them in his hand for a moment, he looked back up and tossed them to Annie, she caught them flawlessly in one swift motion, tilting her head to the side as she caught them. She stared at them as she held them in her open hand, the silver glinting in the evening sunlight. "I expect those back." He said hoisting his jacket over his shoulder, he gave a two-finger forehead salute before leaving and walking away. He wanted that time to think and this may be the only chance he'd ever get. Once the boy had vanished from sight behind the bunkhouse a good distance away, Reiner and Bertolt gathered around Annie to see Daniel's tags, however, the girl simply closed her fist around them and put the tags in her breast pocket. The two boys groaning as she did so.

"Notice, how he threw them to her Bertolt… I'd say Daniel likes you, Annie. Do you like him back?" Reiner smirked and was immediately floored shortly after finishing his sentence.

"He intrigues me." She stated matter of factly. She walked off, following the same path Daniel had taken, staring off after him for a moment, but eventually turned back towards the bunkhouse.

"That wasn't a no," Reiner said as Bertolt helped him up.

"It wasn't a yes either," Bertolt commented, "why do you always go looking for trouble?"

"Can't help it trouble seems to find me." Reiner laughed the ordeal off, he began walking back to the bunkhouse. "Come on training starts early and I want some form of sleep."

Daniel had a walk around the entire camp and arrived outside the showers, he had deliberately waited for everyone else to finish before he went in, his scars were personal, and he didn't want the majority knowing. Well not yet anyway. Signing yet again, that was becoming a habit he really should stop, he went inside the empty block. The relatively small building only had two areas, the communal change and the showers themselves. Daniel threw his clothes into one of the small cubby holes that lined the wall and took one of the towels from the pile labelled 'Clean'. He drew back the door to the showers and entered, he walked the length of the room and took the cubicle nearest the end. He hung the towel over the side wall and turned the water on. The droplets were cold as ice as they started but quickly heated up. The effect of the water on the boy's skin was noticeable if you looked long enough, with the water making his scars raw, searing pain would always follow. Daniel showed no emotion as he leaned on the shower wall gritting his teeth, he would hope that his teeth didn't grind down to smooth surfaces, but he could try and prevent that so instead he stuck his curled index finger in his mouth in order to at least dull the pain somewhat. He stood there for a few minutes while the water worked on his body. He winced from time to time as the droplets took their toll on his seemingly endless scars, the most extreme of which was across his back. It stretched from the top of his right shoulder all the way down to the right side of his latissimus dorsi and then across to the left side, creating a backwards 'L' shape. It was the most painful of them all and he lamented the day it was given to him. With what could only be described as an adequate job done, he turned off the water and made his way back down the rows of showers quickly drying himself off. Opening the door to the communal change he quickly disposed of the towel and began putting his clothes back on. He could hear a voice approaching from outside and didn't plan on dealing with whoever was out there right now, he just wanted some sleep. He briskly walked out of the block brushing past another female recruit as he went, mumbling a quick 'sorry' as he left. She didn't complain as she just stared at the boy as he left, it was quite clear to Daniel that she was checking him out, but he didn't care they could look all they wanted it's not like he would ever get a shot with them anyway, they were soldiers after all.

The bunkhouse was virtually silent when he arrived back, they were the odd few murmurs and lights on as he made his way down the corridor. He could see the light was still on in his room, he knocked on the door as he was taught, back of the hand facing the door with one finger making contact.

"Annie? May I come in?" He asked her through the door. A couple of seconds later the door opened she was stood in the doorway with the same stoic expression as always.

"It's your room as well. Why wouldn't you be allowed in?" She quirked her eyebrow up at him, eyes sparkling in the low light, like stars dancing in the night sky. For what must be the first time in his life, Daniel was speechless, completely in awe, mouth slightly agape. Annie tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before turning and walking back into the room. "Pfft. Whatever." She exclaimed. Daniel shook himself out of the trance-like state he was in and entered the room closing the door behind him, his hand lingered on the handle as he stared at the door, deep in thought, he kicked the door in frustration.

'Dammit get a grip man, it's not like she'd ever return any feelings you'd show her.' He slowed his breathing down, he hadn't realised it had become so erratic in such a short time. He punched the door to make sure it was closed then walked over and slumped down onto his bunk. Annie closed the book she had been reading with a sigh and stuck her head over the side of her bunk to look down at the boy.

"Hey, Daniel?" She asked he looked up, "if you don't mind me asking, can I see your arm?" His face fell and looked down at his arm. He stared at it for a long time before he got up and rolled up his sleeve. Annie gasped. Scars, too many. "How?" She asked, desperately not to break her stoic demeanour.

"It's a long story, but to give you the quick version, can a parent truly love that which is born different, if the answer is yes, why didn't mine love me?" He looked extremely upset by this but continued on. "These aren't even the worst ones." He rolled his sleeve back down, Annie had hopped down from the bunk and had walked over to have a closer look. Daniel sighed, "would you like to see them? You were going to find out eventually anyway." Annie nodded, "You may wanna brace yourself." He warned as he turned so, she could have a clear view of his back and lifted up the back of his shirt. Annie only managed three words.

"Oh. My. God." She whispered, barely audible. She reached out with her hand and placed it on his back. He froze the moment her hand touched his back, it was as if all the pain in the world was suddenly worth it. He winced when she started tracing the L on his back, all the time he could hear her muttering, but it wasn't loud enough that he could make any sense of it. She did finally speak up again, barely. "How many?" She asked, her voice sounded broken. Daniel turned to her, there were tears in his eyes, sharing something this personal had him broken too. In a completely unexpected move, he lent down and gave her a massive hug. Annie was caught completely off guard. One moment she was staring at the boys back, next she was in a situation that she didn't know how to reciprocate, but eventually wrapped her arms around him as well. 'Reiner may have been right after all.' She thought, she pulled the boy away from her for a moment and reached into her breast pocket and brought out the Dog Tags. It was like when he wore them, they were almost like emotion blockers, keeping the boy in check and sane. Daniel bent down and allowed her to put them back around his neck, the tears reducing almost instantly. He sat down on his bunk and just stared at the floor, Annie went and sat next to him, the boy ended up resting his head on her shoulder, it made her jump slightly. After an uncomfortable silence, Daniel finally whispered.

"Too many."


	3. Chapter 3

_Pain is a gift, without the capacity for pain we can't feel the horrors that we inflict. Accepting pain is one of the most human things we can do. The boy knows it._

 _Why do you persist, Adaranth? After all… You are proof._

 _Of what?_

 _That emotions destroy you._

 **Cue** **Guren** **no** **Zahyou**

Daniel and Annie had been sat in the same position for a while now, neither one had dare move. Two thoughts raced through Daniel's mind while he was sat there, 'How?' and 'Why?'. There were no specifics, just those two words, playing over and over in his mind. He was brought out of his thoughts by a knock on the door.

"Just a second." He answered quickly trying to find where he had left his shirt, only for Annie to give him a slight *Ahem* and stood up holding his shirt. He took without saying a word and quickly slipped it back on, his fingers brushed under his eyes to check the tears had gone. They had. That was one thing off of his mind. He made his way over to the door and opened it to see Eren standing in front of him.

"Oh, hi Eren, how can I help you two this evening?" He said disheartened.

"Hi Daniel, you- wait. How did you know I had someone with me?" He asked inquisitively, staring at the boy intently.

"Lucky guess. Now, would you like to come in? Are you going to bring this mystery girl in or not?" He smirked, stepping aside to allow them to come in.

"Come on Mikasa. Please try and behave yourself, we don't want a repeat of earlier." He said as if it were an order. The dark-haired girl he was sitting with earlier stepped out from just around the corner. Her expression was cold and calculated sizing up Daniel as she stepped into the room.

"Make yourself at home," Daniel responded by gesturing around. He slumped back onto his bunk and put his hands together in a thoughtful manner. Eren leaned up against the ladder to Annie's bunk and folded his arms.

"You missed one hell of an argument earlier when you walked out. Jean, that guy Shadis head-butted during initiation, and I got into a scrap over why we joined the military. He wants to join the MPs, what's the point in training to kill Titans if we don't put our skills to use?" He started getting very relied up over this, so much so that Mikasa walked over an gave him a slap around the face. It wasn't a hard one, but it was just enough to bring him back to his senses. However, it did leave the side of his face red a couple of minutes. "Sorry, got carried away." He stated, rubbing his cheek to try and elevate some of the pain. "So… what's your stories if you don't mind me asking?"

"Sorry man, you can ask all you want but you won't get a straight answer out of me. It's not for the faint-hearted." Daniel responded. "But maybe there'll come a time when I can tell you some of it, after all, we may even become friends."

"Alright, if you say so," Eren said sceptically. "What about you, Blondie?" He asked as he turned to Annie. The girl in question, suddenly sat bolt upright in her bunk hitting her head against the roof beam with an almighty *Thwack*. Although it created a mark on her head, she didn't let it faze her as she stared to the boy down with her all to familiar death glare.

"Call her Blondie again, Eren and I will personally break a finger," Daniel said in a defensive tone that nobody expected. "I've done worse…" he trailed off almost as if he was about to experience a memory he didn't need at this moment in time. All three of them looked at the boy for a short while before Annie managed to say something.

"No offensive Yeager, but it's too soon to ask about my life. Just focus on getting through the next 3 years and I'll consider telling you." Annie commented, before lying down again to read. The room was silent for an uncomfortably long time, you could still hear the murmurs of other cadets at the other end of the bunkhouse.

"You know, fuck it. I'll give you some of the details about my life but not the harder stuff. If I did I don't think you'd be able to sleep tonight." Daniel said after finally breaking the silence he had entered after his little outburst. "I grew up in a small village just outside of the Trost district inside Wall Maria. I lived all my life with my parents, my brother, Brandon, and my grandfather, Adaranth. First few years of my life were nothing special, grandfather was a member of the Scouts and a damn good one at that. He would always tell me stories about his escapades beyond the walls whenever he was home. At least 42 confirmed Titan kills, he quickly earned the nickname 'Bullitt' for how fast he was when it came to his movements. So graceful yet deadly. He was more of a parent than my actual ones were and after my brother came along." Daniel moved his hand to the tags around his neck. "These were engraved by him, they serve as a reminder and a mystery, as I still haven't figured out what he meant. 'One day, you will remember who you are, for you are who you choose to be.' That was one of the last times I saw him for a good while, Scouts had drafted him back for another expedition." He paused for a moment to catch his breath. He continued "Things got… extremely heated between him and my dad. So much so that he had to move to a house on the outskirts of town because of it and after that… well…" he stopped speaking and rolled up a sleeve to show Eren the scars. Eren just gaped in awe at them while Mikasa remained unmoved although with the smallest hint of sadness in her eye. "That's when my eyes were opened to what people were truly capable of when they need someone to blame." He slowly turned his arm to give them a complete view. "My brother was the only one they cared about after grandfather left. I was an outcast of the family for a long time, then about 3 years ago, my brother and I finally connected. I had ignored him for so long and now… it's one of my biggest regrets. He truly cared and loved me all this time but I never gave him the time of day. At least he's alive and well, but he still lives with those I call 'family'. I saw my grandfather one last time about three days before Maria fell, 'Daniel' he said, 'I'm going away for a while, I'll be back at some point but remember everything I've taught you and you will survive. The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don't always spoil the good things and make them unimportant. The world is big. It's vast, complicated and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles. After all, we're all stories in the end. Just try and make yours a good one, eh?' I never saw him again after that. I went back to his house the following day, he had vanished, almost as if he had never existed. When Maria fell, my whole village evacuated to Trost, I actively avoided my family after we arrived. Even went as far as to sign up to an orphanage to escape them, it's not like they'd notice I was missing. My brother did find where I was eventually and we keep in contact via letters every month. Which brings us to about now. As to why I joined the military, it was to keep a promise I made a few years ago and that is that." With that he finished, he rolled down his sleeve again and put his feet up on his bed, staring at the bunk above's slats.

"I'm sorry Daniel, I had no idea," Mikasa said for the first time this evening.

"Don't apologise for something you didn't know. But am I right in guessing You, Eren and that blond kid are all from the same area? Right?"

"Yeah," Eren responded, downhearted. "The Shiganshina District, we were the first hit by those brutes. Lost my mum that day, eaten by one of those things. I will never forget that smile. That fucking smile!" He angrily clenched his fists. He managed to calm himself down, walked over to Daniel and sat next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, he spoke again. "We need to stick together man, what do you say, friends?" Eren offered out his hand in hope. Daniel didn't move his whole body, just his arm and took the other boys hand in a firm handshake.

"Friends." He agreed, Eren and Mikasa departed after a while, leaving the room to catch some sleep, after all, they had ODM training in the morning. Daniel turned out his light and rolled over to look out of the window at the night sky, he could at least try and get some sleep. He felt his eyelids starting to close.

"I'm sorry." Came a voice from above him.

"Huh? What?" Daniel mumbled, semi-conscious. Annie's upside down face suddenly appeared like before.

"About your grandfather, I'm sorry. He sounded like a genuine man." Daniel simply looked at Annie for a moment before a small grin appeared on his face. Annie stared at him puzzled. "What?" She exclaimed, tilting her head slightly causing her hair to fall in front of her face, she blew I gently in order to at least see. Daniel just shook his head and chuckled slightly.

"It's funny how out of nowhere that was. Like I told Mikasa, don't apologise for something you didn't know." Daniel sighed again and sat up. "I'm gonna go for a quick walk, I can't sleep, fancy tagging along?" He made his way to the open window and hopped out. He turned and looked back in, waiting for Annie's answer. He stood there with his arms folded and tapped his foot impatiently. "Fine, I'll see you later." He had waited for a good minute, he turned and left the view of the window, walking off into the night.

The next morning after breakfast everyone was gathered around the practice rigging for ODM training. Some cadets seemed to notice that Daniel hadn't shown up this morning, above all of them Annie was probably concerned the most for the boy but didn't show it, she had to keep up her tough exterior. He wasn't in his bunk when she woke up this morning and just assumed that he had gone for an early shower, but after he didn't show up for breakfast, she started suspecting something had happened.

"Cadet Leonhart." She stood to attention as Shadis appeared in front of the troop, "Where is Cadet Tadayoshi?" There was something off about the delivery of that sentence, almost as if he was disappointed.

"I don't know, sir." She responded dryly, "I'm not his keeper."

"You are his bunkmate, are you not? Therefore you should have seen him this morning." Shadis was doing his best not to lose his cool over the absence of one cadet, but when his own presence in the military was at stake, it was very hard not to lose it. "It's not a primary concern right now let's move onto basic training. Attention Ladies!" He turned to address the whole troop.

A few hours later and there was still no sign of Daniel. Eren and Reiner were extremely agitated by this whole situation, he seemed so committed but to just disappear was completely unexpected. Reiner turned to Bertolt.

"This is bad. What are we supposed to do? Annie says she hasn't seen him since last night." The concern in his voice was easily noticeable.

"I don't know," Bertolt responded. "We've just got to hope he shows up."

"I thought I told you before." A familiar voice rang out, the whole troop, Shadis included turned to find Daniel leaning up against a wall, barely standing. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here." He tried taking a step forward but just collapsed to the ground. Audible groans escaped his mouth as he lay there. A group of cadets rushed over to help him out, Annie went to make a move but others got there first and immediately started to upright him.

 ***A few hours ago***

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Daniel said to no one in particular as he tried to knock some form of sense into him. "Girls hate the broken ones." He finished his flare up with a hard kick to the rock he was sitting on, he almost instantly regretted it as pain shot through his toes and into his ankle, he dropped to the floor clutching his foot, rolling around in pain. "Fuck, fuck, fuck and fuck!" He said through gritted teeth, "I think I broke something." He sat up and gave his ankle a prod. The pain instantly returned. "Bollocks to it. I've busted my ankle. Fat lot of good walking is now." He slumped back down on the rock, trying to figure out how he could get back.

"I told you he'd be here." Came a voice from a few hundred yards away. Daniel's mood changed from frustration to anger that he allowed people to get this close without him knowing. He didn't show it as he turned to see a group of 6 cadets standing not too far away now. They were approaching him, malicious intent written all over their faces.

"What do you guys want?" Daniel said halfheartedly, he wasn't in the mood or condition to fight at this very moment but still kept up the persona.

"You gone, like yesterday," one of them said as they started to encircle the boy.

"Look how skinny this guy is… I could probably deck him in one punch man." A slightly buffer boy exclaimed.

"Less talk more action boys. Grab him." The supposed leader commanded. The small troop's nasty little hands all managed to grab a hold of Daniel in some way shape or form. He didn't struggle, there was no point. There never was in these situations. He simply closed his eyes and waited. He was met with a hard right hook to his left eye, pain shot through his socket but subsided quickly when he was met with a low blow to the stomach knocking the wind out of him. He almost collapsed to his knees had it not been for the cadets holding him up as their leader beat him down. "This is pitiful. Fight back!" He delivered a sharp kick to his leg, his good leg at that. This time, Daniel dropped to one knee but was met with a roundhouse kick to the face. He flew through the air a couple of feet before settling down in the dirt looking up at the sky. He didn't dare open his eye as he felt the cadets gather around him, he heard something snap and he suddenly found he couldn't feel all of his right arm. Broken… like a twig in a forest. The groups leader spat in the boy's face before turning in his heels and leaving, the rest of the cadets following suit. Daniel was fully alone moonlight revealing the injuries he had taken. His right arm lay broken, the bone protruding out awkwardly, the lower arm hanging on by a ligament. His right ankle, broken, from the kick he had given the rock earlier. His left knee had become dislodged and would make walking next to impossible. As for his left eye, he couldn't open it. No matter how much he tried to it refused to budge. Taking everything in, Daniel could only sigh and mutter a single world.

"Fuck."


	4. Chapter 4

_Some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It's not the time that matters, it's the person._

 _Adaranth. Cease these futile attempts of trying to sway the boy. He will do our bidding otherwise the family die._

 _You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common: they don't alter their views to fit the facts; they alter the facts to fit their views. Am I right, Fane?_

 **Cue** **Guren No Zahyou**

Daniel woke with a start, jolting upright in bed. He was sweating profusely, like bullet casings ejected from a machine gun. He brought a hand to his forehead and leant into it, he rubbed his brow he hadn't had a vision like that in a long time and the last time he did he was right. The Titan invasion of Shiganshina, although he didn't understand it at the time hindsight could be a bitch as about a year later his vision came true. That's when it dawned on him that he had woken up in a bed and not on the ground where he had fallen and come to think of it his right arm was perfectly fine. 'Had all of last night and yesterday been a dream?' He thought to himself.

"Ah Good, you're finally awake." Came a voice, Daniel looked around to find its owner and saw a young boy of average height with a broad, muscular build. He had short, parted black hair, freckles, and light brown eyes. The eyes, in particular, shone with optimism and hope. "The nurse wondered when you'd wake, Good thing Shadis didn't kick you out on the spot for showing up like that." He laughed jokingly, trying to break the ice. "Forgive me, where are my manners? My name is Marco Bott."

"I'm going to stop you going any further, Marco," Daniel said raising a hand. "Just tell me, how long was I out?" Marco's face had become crestfallen, being the bearer of bad news is always a bad thing.

"About 3 days." He mumbled quietly.

"3 DAYS!?" Daniel yelled at the top of his voice.

"Please try and calm down, we don't need the entire troop down here." Marco panicked, frantically waving his arms in front of him, trying to quieten the boy down. It took a few minutes and a lot of morphine, but it eventually worked. Daniel was lying on the bed groggy and with a blur to his vision. Hold on.

"Why can't I see proper out of my left eye? Marco, could you pass me a mirror?" He asked. Marco shifted on the spot, looking very uncomfortable answering any questions. "Marco…" Daniel pressured with a low growl in his voice.

"A lot of people came by to see you, ya know? Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Reiner, Bertolt, Sasha, Connie, Christia and even Ymir. Annie's been the most out of all of them, I counted 6 visits from her alone in 2 days." Marco offered up. Daniel was quiet for a moment, reflecting on the information. He stared down at the relatively clean bed sheets losing himself in the white void.

'So… it seems we've got some of the caring types in this world after all.' He thought to himself. His hands clenched ahold of the bed sheets with an ever-tightening grip eventually turning his knuckles as white as the sheets. Before turning to Marco again.

"Don't dodge the question." He said annoyed. As Marco opened his mouth to speak, the nurse walked in. First thing Daniel made out was her purple hair. 'Well, that's… different.' He thought.

"Thank you, Marco. The Commandant wants to see you." The nurse gave Marco a pat on the back as he turned and left. "Meanwhile you, Mr Tadayoshi, are a curious one. I've never seen injuries heal that fast. How an arm that broken can heal in one day is incredible. Your eye, however… I doubt it will ever heal correctly. Did you wear contacts?"

"Yes, I did," he sighed deeply and after some thought spoke again. "Can I see?" The nurse passed him a mirror faced down and when he turned it over the sight was unrecognisable. His left iris and pupil had died and become totally white, the once sparkling blue it had been was lost. Topping it all off was another scar. This one starting at the edge of his eyebrow before cutting across the eye and stopping just underneath his lower eyelashes. It had created a gash in his face that had exposed parts of the flesh underneath to the outside world.

"Looks like I'll have to wear the glasses I packed." He opened his right eyelids to take out the contact, however, the daunting task of the left eye became too much. A single tear swelled and rolled down his cheek.

"A single tear? Really? How cliché." Came a voice Daniel recognised all too well. He turned his head and there, standing at the door, was Annie with a rare smile on her face. He quickly wiped away the tear and sniffed a couple of times to bring himself together, before speaking.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked, there was a small amount of joy to his voice as if seeing the girl had somehow perked up his spirits. She leant one elbow against the door frame, the other clung to her hip disinterestedly.

"Just long enough, not that it's any of your concern." She stated. "I came to ask you a couple of things, nothing important, I'm just curious about a few things."

"You don't need an invitation, take a seat." Daniel gestured to an empty stool by his bed. The nurse made room by going to fetch a couple of things, although she didn't specify what, it was clear she wanted to leave the two alone to talk. Daniel turned and looked out the window his bed was situated by, in order to better conceal his face.

"Why are you turning away? I've already seen it, look at me already." She sighed. Daniel reluctantly turned back to look at her, although he couldn't clearly make her out, bad vision and all.

"Marco said you'd been a few times while I was unconscious, that true?"

"Yeah. Don't make it out like it's a big deal, alright." Annie brushed it off, "but you should be able to rest easy now, the guys who did this to you are gone, you won't hear from them again."

"You make it sound like you've killed them." Daniel joked with a small laugh, it seems the morphine was wearing off. Annie gave a small chuckle to herself as well.

"Something like that." She then looked at the floor and mumbled something to herself. Daniel couldn't quite make it out, but from the way she sat, twiddling her thumbs, he knew better than to ask. "Anyway, you said you had questions?" Annie looked back up, expression unchanged.

"Only a couple," She shifted the stool closer so she could lean her elbows on his bed. "First, your injuries." She indicated his arm, "I've never seen something heal so quickly."

"I have no idea why before you ask." Daniel commented, "I'm just as lost as you." He gave his arm a once over, a new scar had formed in the place of his injury, it left a complete ring around his elbow. "What was the second question?"

"These predictions or visions that you have. Do they always come true?" Annie asked, tilting his chin up to meet his good eye.

"As far as I can tell yeah," Daniel responded matter of factly. Annie was slightly taken aback how quickly she had gotten the answers she wanted and got up the leave, she made it halfway to the door before Daniel spoke again."Do you know why I keep that with me?" Annie turned back to find him staring out of the window.

"Come again?" She asked walking back towards him.

"The flintlock. Do you know why I keep it?" Daniel asked again and when Annie didn't respond he answered her. "Every single day I wake up and think of a reason not to do it. Every single day. And you know why I don't do it? This is going to make you laugh. You know why I don't do it? I feel it's got a better purpose than seeing my brains being blown out. Now that's the reason." He finished with a dark chuckle to himself. There was a long silence, only made worse by Daniel's unmoved nature and an uncharacteristic smirk on his face.

"Did you need a hand taking that other contact out?" Annie asked, looking awkward and twiddling her thumbs again.

"Please," Daniel answered turning to face her and when he did, she could see why he hadn't done so. The corner of his left eye had somehow wept blood. It wasn't the best of sights, but she obliged him. "I'll hold the eye open, but I need you to take it out." He said quietly, almost frightened, this was new, Annie hadn't seen someone like this in a long time. Daniel could never remember feeling like this it was some cruel joke to feel soothed and scared shitless at the same time. Reluctantly, Daniel moved his hands in order to separate his eyelids in order for her to access his damaged lens. More blood started weeping from the wound, bloody tears. Annie tried to act fast and carefully slid the lens out. Daniel let go of his eyelids and wiped away the blood that had slid down his face.

"You fascinate me, Daniel. That's not something that happens often. Every time I think I have you figured out, you drop another bombshell." Annie tilted her head slightly and smiled. "And for the record," she stood up to leave, straightening her jacket as she did so. "I think the new scar makes you look dangerous and I like danger." She left with a wink and smile. Leaving Daniel with his mouth hanging open, staring at the floor in a puddle of sweat. After what seemed quite some time, he shook himself from his utter daze and gave a small chuckle. This slowly evolved into a full-on laugh that lasted a good few minutes.

Marco and the Nurse eventually returned to the room and rushed to his bedside in order to restrain the boy or risk further, possible permanent damage to his more severe injuries. His laughter eventually became so bad the nurse had to sedate him for a few hours. Marco eventually swapped out for another boy to keep watch on him while he slept. This boy has a slim build, with grey eyes, and his brown hair is distinctively kept shaved. He kept a watchful eye on Daniel while he was under but soon became lost in his own thoughts and thus didn't notice when Daniel had started to violently react to another vision.

 _He was tied down on a table, in a darkly lit room with the only face he could see was his Grandfather. Somewhere off in the distance, in one of the rooms many corners, was a faint crying, although Daniel couldn't hear it over the sounds of his own struggles and his Grandfather's words._

 _"Daniel, I'm sorry, but it's the only way." Adaranth cried, "they'll kill them if I don't." He picked up a rotating saw and slowly began to lower it towards to boys' arm. The saw's teeth began cutting away at his flesh, the boy screamed in agony. The sounds of bones snapping and muscles tearing filled the room, the smell of blood crept into Daniel's nostrils and very soon his right arm was completely severed and fell to the floor. A faint mist slowly rose from the severed arm, before disappearing just as quickly as it appeared._

 _"WHERE IS SHE!?" Daniel demanded through clenched teeth. He got no answer, Adaranth continued cutting away._

 _"Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" Daniel shouted, each time increasing in volume. The saw worked away on his left arm. Each bite of the blade cutting deeper, causing Daniel to howl in pain._

 _"He won't be able to take much more of this, he'll die! Please let me stop." Adaranth pleaded off into the dark. A heavily distorted voice answered him._

 _"You told me yourself, Adaranth, the boy has much more potential. So, keep going." Just as Adaranth lowered the saw again, a female voice that Daniel recognised, called out._

 _"STOP IT!"_

Daniel woke up screaming and drenched in sweat. The boy who had been watching over him immediately jumped up to restrain him.

"Calm down," the boy reassured him, "you're alright, you're safe. Deep breaths." He started inhaling and exhaling deeply in order for Daniel to get the message and copy. Daniel started to control his breathing and very soon it all returned to normal. "I'm Connie, not the most ideal of introductions, I know, but it's better than me not giving you my name."

"Let me go, I need to see Shadis," Daniel demanded not bothering to look at Connie.

"Fat chance man. I've been told you need to stay here." Connie scoffed at the motion Daniel was trying to get at. Daniel just sighed and instead turned to him.

"You're probably right, I mean— oh look there's Marco." He started to point at the main door, Connie turned to look and saw nobody standing there. He was quickly met with a sharp blow to the back of the neck followed by unconsciousness. Daniel lowered his hand and got out of bed. As he stood, he picked his glasses up from the bedside table and slipped them on. They were a rather uncomfortable fit around his scar, but they would serve their purpose just the same.

"Honestly, the day that stops working…" he muttered, he began his walk or rather hobble towards Shadis' office, his legs slowly recovering from being bedridden these past few days and he was soon walking normally again. He leant against the walls in order to keep himself upright as he still felt slightly dizzy.

"Excuse me, Cadet." The Commandant's voice appeared from around a corner. Daniel looked up to see him leaning on the wall in front of him staring him down with arms folded in a disapproving manner. "You are supposed to be in bed resting. Doesn't matter step into my office." He indicated through a nearby door with his thumb. Daniel followed the Commandant into his office and stood to attention while Shadis took a seat on the desk and refolded his arms.

"So, Mr Tadayoshi… What was so important that you needed to actively seek me out? Couldn't this have waited till after you had recovered, or better yet couldn't you have sent Ms Leonhart to tell me instead?

"I want to take the ODM test now with all due respect, sir." Daniel cut off the rest of the lecture, leaving Shadis for the first time at a loss for words.

"Cadet let me tell you something. You are a bold one. Are you truly ready for this? Because I'd hate to see you fail, don't you want to rest up and take it when you're well enough?" Shadis asked after some thought.

"Why do we fall, sir? So, that we can learn to pick ourselves up." Daniel spoke out, repeating some of his grandfather's wisdom. "I'm ready now."

Shadis stood from the desk and walked over to the boy, he placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to look him square in the eyes.

"Son, your grandfather was one of the finest scouts I ever had the privilege of serving with. He had his secrets and I have mine but don't think for a second, I'm gonna let you leave this corp without getting you into the top ten. You have his eyes and that drive to see things through to the end. So, I ask again… are you truly ready, because it's just going to get tougher from here." Shadis finished with what must have been a first in a long time, a smile.

"I'm ready, sir, lead the way." Daniel nodded to the Commandant. Shadis returned to his full height and gently patted the boy on the shoulder and swiftly leaving the room with Daniel in tow. While they walked towards the training grounds, Daniel became philosophical for one of the first times in his life.

"You know, sir. If you assume that there is no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, that there are opportunities to change things, then there is a possibility that you can contribute to making a better world. I want to make those possibilities. People are messy, awkward, sometimes selfish and cruel. But they're trying, and I'm going to make sure they have a chance." He finished proudly.

"Tell me something, Tadayoshi. Who do you think God really favours in the web? The spider, or the fly? Because I have a hard time figuring out which is which when it comes to us and the Titans." Shadis lamented.

"To be perfectly, honest sir, I always thought he was on our side but now… I think God is just playing us all. Playing us like fiddles. This is all part of his amusement, doesn't matter who dies as long as he's entertained." Daniel answered him.

"Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave."


	5. Chapter 5

**Cue Guren no Zahyou**

 ***104** **th** **Cadet Corps Training Grounds, One Week Later…***

After Daniel's successful ODM test one week ago things started looking up for the first time in his life. He had started slowly opening up to more and more people and now had amassed a serious group of friends who hung out with him whenever they got the chance. He had almost no time to himself these days. They had started their mountain expedition this evening, climbing up to the peak only to be instructed to run back down once they were to reach the summit. On the climb up, Daniel bumped into someone he didn't expect to find within a 10-foot radius of a soldier.

"Long time no see, Cuz. Loving the eye." She winked. Miku Sakakibara, a tall girl standing slightly above Daniel by 1 inch, with long fiery red hair and a personality to boot. Dressed in the standard cadet uniform yet leaving a minority of her blouses' buttons undone leaving little to a boy's imagination. An interesting talk with Sasha, once he'd managed to get her off the subject of potatoes, revealed that Miku was the envy of the majority of girls in the cadet corps, although he didn't know they were referring to her at the time. "How longs it been since we last saw each other?"

"2 years, 4 months and 27 days," Daniel smiled. "I kept count; I know. I know. I'm boring." He joked with her. "How've you been? How's the family doing?"

"I'm doing fine, as for the family well we're just about getting by I'm here to help them at least afford a decent meal once in a while, soldiers wages and all that. Always hated the soldier type but the family's gotta make a living somehow and well I'm old enough, so here I am." Miku smiled at her cousin, "but enough about me, let's talk about you, sorry about the eye but I've heard girls dig the scars." She gave him a playful elbow nudge.

"If you aren't all over them." Daniel nudged back. Miku held her hands up in defence.

"Hey, low blow man. I can't help it. If you actually took my tips maybe you'd have a girlfriend, but you are impossible to help."

"If I took your tips, I'd probably end up with a worse face than I have right now." Daniel scoffed. "Although I've already had one girl tell me it's attractive…" Daniel quietly added, unfortunately, Miku's hearing was better than Daniel remembered, and her head immediately turned to face him.

"Hold up, wait a minute. You've talked to another girl beside me? Who are you and what have you done with my cousin?" Miku started laughing. "The cousin I know would go near a girl let alone talk to one. Are you really Daniel?"

"You know me, I'm the one and only, you can't take that away from me."

Their banter continued back and forth for a while before Miku ran off to seemingly talk to her other friends. Daniel had to shout after her to stay out of trouble to which she turned and threw an obscene gesture back at him, he could only laugh. Jean, Connie and Reiner all jogged up next to Daniel.

"Dude, spill." Reiner started.

"How do you know such a fine lady?" Jean added.

"And more importantly, why haven't you introduced us to her yet?" Connie finished.

"She's my cousin guys," Daniel stated with a punch on Reiners' shoulder to emphasise his point. "And more to the point, I hate to burst your bubble but… now, how do I put this lightly?" He started tapping his chin in such a way to look like he was thinking.

"I prefer girls." Miku casually dropped suddenly appearing in front of the group. Making Jean, Connie and Reiner all jump.

"Yeah, she does that." Daniel deadpanned.

Jean and Connie's faces immediately fell, they slumped to their knees asking why God had forsaken them so, while Reiner remained unmoved.

"I thought you all had the hots for different people anyway?" Daniel asked. Miku's face practically lit up with excitement.

"Now you've got to tell me everything!" She slung her arm around Daniel's shoulder and marched him away from the small group to have some more one on one talk. Reiner turned to the other boys and hoisted them up.

"Jean, Connie. Pull yourselves together we got a long hike still to go and I can't be carrying you all the way." Reiner lightly banged their heads together to bring them back to their senses. With a shared expression of pain on their faces, the trio kept going. Bertolt jogged up alongside them having talked with Annie extensively for the majority of the journey. Reiner had already taken a guess that he liked her, although the tall boy would never admit to it.

 _"Why does the sun come up? Or are the stars just pinholes in the curtain of night, who knows? What I do know is that because you, Daniel, you were born different, men will fear you... You must learn to conceal your special gift and harness it until the time is right."_

 _"But Grandfather, what gift? You've never said! All you ever gave me were riddles!"_

 _"Patience, young one. They may seem like riddles today, but tomorrow they could be just as clear as the day. One day I must repent, and I hope to god I'm with you when the time is right. It'll be a cold day in hell for the men who oppose us."_

 _"Grandfather, you're still making no sense. Can't you just tell me another one of your stories?"_

 _"Hey, Daniel?"_

 _"Yes, what is it, Grandfather?"_

"Your girlfriend wants you," Miku smirked as Annie tugged on Daniels' elbow to try and get his attention. "I'll leave you two alone for now." Miku smiled smugly before dashing off. Daniel just sighed to himself he knew it would be pointless to argue with someone that energetic. He turned to Annie.

"What's up?" Daniel asked her. Annie simply quirked an eyebrow up at him and smiled slightly.

"You want to live forever? Keep your mouth shut. You'll live longer." She jerked her thumb over to Connie and Jean still looking utterly depressed, the serious tone of her voice yet smiling exterior did not sync at all, it all looked very odd. Although you could say that about the whole troop. They were a bunch of roughnecks.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Daniel was left bemused by her statement.

"Never mind I was just wondering how much longer you planned on living, I don't think the boys over there appreciated you spilling the beans to your cousin."

"Don't worry about Miku, she's a good one, she doesn't spread gossip, she just hoards it to herself."

The remaining trek up the mountain was uneventful, to say the least, nothing major happened but the whole time Daniel felt as if he should have said something more to Annie. If he kept everything bottled up for so long, it would consume him, and he'd fall into something he wouldn't be able to crawl out of. So, that night he would put his plan into motion.

The food hall was bustling with exhausted cadets as they all helped themselves to their standard rations that evening. Daniel made his way over to a free table slightly away from the centre of the room but not too far out of the way that it looked odd. Although Miku almost immediately found him, he had trusted to her his plan in the confidence she wouldn't tell a soul. Daniel was so serious about this he had made Miku swear on her family's dog, even though Daniel had suspected for a long time she hated that dog. Eventually, they were joined by the Shiganshina crew along with a few others, who Daniel liked to call, the stragglers. Eren, after settling himself opposite Daniel, was the first to speak.

"Boy, that sure was tough, I don't know about you, but I think I could eat a horse. I'm so famished."

"How about the majestic stallion, Jean?" Reiner offered, he and Bertolt shared a laugh with Armin.

"Speak for yourself, Eren. Not all of us have endless pits for stomachs." Daniel quipped back. Miku leaned over and whispered into his ear.

"Is that seriously the best you can come up with?" She sounded both thrilled and disappointed at the same time. "What happened to the verbal sparring matches we used to get into?"

"We stopped because you kept bringing up that you were taller than me and it just got boring after that," Daniel whispered back. Looking around the hall, Daniel saw Sasha sat eating alone, looking extremely down. Connie appeared to be playing with his food and hadn't said much at all this evening, Daniel had deduced that maybe, just maybe, that Connie had a soft spot for Sasha. So, against his better judgement, Daniel spoke up.

"Hey, Connie." He started, said boy jerked his head up, quite surprised with a look of slight shock on his face.

"Christ, don't do that man." He answered, clutching his hand over his heart.

"Sorry dude. But you once asked me for advice, want some now?" Daniel laid out. Connie shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright then, couldn't hurt."

"Never pass up a good thing, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, even if it is love." He winked and jerked his head towards where Sasha was seated. Connie looked over at Sasha, back to Daniel then back to Sasha again, he seemed to get the message. He nodded at Daniel and stood up with his food and walked over to sit opposite Sasha. The group sat back and watched what happened from afar. Miku leaned over to Daniel and whispered in his ear.

"3 gold pieces he blows it." she sniggered. Daniel turned in mock horror but laughed at the offer.

"Alright, you're on." he gave her a fist bump as he relaxed and continued eating the rest of his food, it had gotten cold however it didn't bother him. He was grateful for any meal he got, cold or hot, fresh or rotten, food was food to him. His life wasn't peachy, but he tried to always see positive sides although that had deteriorated after repeated beatings until it no longer resonated with him. However, this past week his positivity had slowly been returning to him this was due to the enormous amount of support he got from his friends. Even people like Thomas and Mina, who he barely knew, were on good terms with him occasionally smiling or simply saying 'good morning' to him. It all helped, he felt like a person for the first time in years.

He looked back over to Connie and saw he was bright red looking down at the floor, Daniel couldn't help but feel he had missed something when he glanced at Miku it only confirmed it. Miku, looking defeated, sighed and turned to finish her food.

"I owe you 3 gold pieces." She pouted. Daniel just laughed to himself softly. He glanced over his shoulder again, Sasha seemed to be rubbing Connie's head, turning the boy even redder. The banter around the table continued Daniel let all the conversations wash over him and even laughed at a couple, he was perfectly calm, on the outside. Inside, however, he was shaking like a leaf. He finished his food quietly, stood up to leave only to be caught on the arm by Mikasa as he passed her.

"I need to speak with you." She said, stoically. Daniel didn't look at her but nodded in agreement.

"Follow me." He said walking off. As they left, curious gazes followed them, but no-one questioned it. As the pair left, Connie returned to the table. He slumped down in his seat and held his head in his hands. He groaned.

"Remind me never to follow Daniel's advice ever again."

"If it's womanly advice you're after Connie, you should have come to me," Miku announced pointing at herself. "Daniel's never had a relationship, I have, think carefully about who you talk to about these things next time." She scolded.

"Now you tell me." He grumbled putting his head on the table. "Although Sasha said she'd get back to me on it. So maybe it wasn't all bad."

"Mikasa, I know what you want, but why should I oblige you?" Daniel spoke. They had left the safety and comfort of the food hall and were now standing in the middle of the training yard. "You saw exactly what happened when those cadets ambushed me."

"I know, it doesn't make sense. How is it that 4 no name cadets caused that much damage to you, yet you sent 2 trained soldiers to the hospital?" Daniel's story seemed to full of discrepancies, she was planning to get to the bottom of it. Mikasa raised her fists and took an offensive stance. "Put your hands up." That was the only warning Daniel got before she started towards him at lightning speed, he barely had the time to get his hand up to block the first attack. The rest of the blows came hard and fast, all this time Mikasa could tell he was holding back. Yet he still managed to block every blow she threw at him. Mikasa faked a left jab, Daniel fell for it, catching her hand. She spun, throwing her right elbow into Daniel's ribs. He stumbled over, Mikasa had created an opening. She clapped his ears in order to disorientate him, although not for as long as she hoped as he caught both of her next blows. He spun her around and threw her away from him.

"Mikasa!" Daniel shouted, shaking his head slightly trying to regain his awareness. "What in the actual fuck are you doing?!" He never got a response as she was back to delivering blow after blow to his midsection. Time slowed down as the boy took in every move she made in order to counter them. Mikasa went to deliver a knock out punch to the head, her fist made contact but not with its intended target. Daniel lowed his hand and smiled slightly. He finally went on the offensive but he held back his punches in order to not hurt her, he didn't want to hurt anyone if he could help it. With one move the fight ended as quickly as it had begun, Daniel tripped Mikasa up with a quick kick to her ankles, knocking her off her feet. She fell to the floor with a thud, although she remained perfectly awake and somewhat unharmed, Daniel looked a lot worse bleeding in several areas, the face in particular. "Christ! I'm too old for this sort of shit! Somebody get me a goddamn wheelchair!" He started laughing to himself. He held out his hand for Mikasa, she took it and Daniel hauled her to her feet. "Wanna explain what in the living hell that was all about?" He asked, his face becoming deadly serious.

"Daniel, this world is cruel, sometimes people will die and you can't stop it," Mikasa said, ominously.

"If you're implying what I think you're implying," Daniel asked, closing the distance between them as he said so. The look in his eyes was a warning to Mikasa, she was treading on thin ice. "Then you're the most hypocritical critical person I've met in my lifetime. Eren may not see it but I do. You have a twisted sense in what you call love, but I guess that what's I expected from an Ackerman." Mikasa looked at Daniel with a stare that was becoming increasingly hostile, she backed away slightly to stop herself lashing out. "Whether you decide or not to act is entirely up to you, I just hope I'm not around for when it all comes out. I may not have a death wish, but I'm not brain dead." Mikasa said nothing and just turned to leave. "Hey," Daniel called out, "one more thing." Mikasa stopped but didn't look back. "I've had nothing but nightmares since the day of the outer wall falling. I can't get it out of my head. A dream two of years. Every day I have this. And sometimes I wake up and I don't know where I am. I don't talk to anybody. Sometimes a day - a week. I can't put it out of my mind. But I don't plan on giving up yet if I ever do…" he trailed off.

"I know," Mikasa answered him, she sighed, "I know." With that, she finally left.

"How long have you been listening for?" Daniel called out to a shadowy figure lurking not too far away. Annie walked out of the darkness, unfolding her arms in the process.

"Long enough to know you don't make a lick of sense half the time." She smiled at him. "But that's okay." She walked over to him, his head was hung looking at the floor. She gently took his chin and raised up enough so she could look him in the eyes. "Hey, it's okay, you may be a daft prick at times-"

"Well, I-" Daniel interrupted. Annie put a single finger on his mouth to stop his blathering.

"Let me finish, please." She cleared her throat, "I know I'm mean, but it's how I compensate for being weak and soft, my father once described me as a devil with the voice of an angel. How I hated that man, everything he put me through, but you can't always judge someone until you truly start to get to know them. It doesn't take a genius to see that the world has problems."

"No, but it takes a room full of morons to think they're small enough for you to handle." Daniel joked. He took ahold of Annie's hand and began to speak. "The same blood runs through your veins. The same strange way of talking. The same crooked smile. Remember. You're not alone. Look up to the sky and be calm. You're not alone. Look into the light and be heard. You're never alone. Your life is golden. My life is golden. In the end, I'm just a boy standing in front of a girl asking her to love him." Daniel finished his small speech and stepped back, what he got next he didn't expect. A bright red mark had appeared on his cheek, pain swiftly followed.

"Sorry, I thought I was asleep for a moment, just had to check I was really awake." She chuckled. She started walking away but turned around after a few steps. "You know, I'd never thought you'd ask, but you can have my answer later." She sarcastically blew a kiss over her shoulder as she left. "See you later… tiger."

"Ow." Was the only thing Daniel mumble.


	6. Chapter 6

_Now there's an interesting point. Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?_

 _Yes._

 _Aw. I was hoping for a philosophical debate, is that all I'm gonna get: "yes"?_

 _Yes._

 _You're no fun._

 _Let me out of these manacles Fane and I'll show you how much fun I am._

 _Ooh, you're tough, aren't you Adaranth?_

 **Cue Guren no Zahyou**

 ***3 Years Later… Year 850. Trost Garrison.***

"Attention!" The entire troop stood ready after Shadis barked out. He paced back and forth on the wooden stage in front of the 104th. "Cadets, I have driven and pushed you through these last 3 years, because I wanted the best of the best of the best. We started out this journey with many more, some buckled under the pressure, while others couldn't keep up. I see many of you now who look at me with hatred in your eyes. That's good. Keep that hate burning it will keep you alive. You are the elite."

Among the changed cadets stood a different boy to the one 3 years ago. Now 17, at 6'1", He was a changed person, yet the scars remained. The eye was still worse for wear but at least he didn't frighten anyone anymore. Daniel stood relatively near the back of the troop alongside Miku and Reiner. Unfortunately for Daniel, it looked like Miku would still win the who's taller argument. She had gained a few more inches now standing at 6'5", it annoyed him to no ends. Her body had grown with her but thanks to the military lifestyle and Daniel's insistent training with Annie, she had to keep up somehow. Both Daniel and Miku had fully toned over the 3 years, Daniel more than Miku, she had a philosophy to think that it wouldn't be fair if she had all the good looks. It annoyed Daniel to no end but he was at least thankful that she'd given him one advantage, even if she trumped him with everything else. Unlike the two cousins, the majority of the troop hadn't changed much in the physical department with the few noteworthy exceptions being, Reiner, Annie & Mikasa.

"Cadets!" Shadis barked again, after giving a long and winding speech. "Graduation is tomorrow night after you have completed your station work here, in Trost. However, tonight," He paused for dramatic effect. "Tonight, I'm feeling generous, go take a few hours leave. Dismissed!" The entire troop saluted once again before slowly making their way out of the courtyard. The majority of the troop immediately headed for the nearest bar in order to grab what must have been the first taste of alcohol in years. Miku nudged her cousin and indicated for him to follow her. Daniel quickly finished his conversation with Reiner, Bertolt and Marco and turned to follow his cousin, all the while Annie looked on from a disinteresting conversation she was supposed to be with Sasha, Christia and Ymir. She quickly narrowed her gaze before following the duo from the shadows.

'Where are you off to, Sakakibara?' She thought.

Miku lead Daniel towards a very quiet part of the district, the building appeared to be in heavy disrepair but from the sounds coming from the inside it still appeared to house life.

"Seriously? You drag me halfway across town for this, we passed hundreds of other bars along the way. Why couldn't we go with the rest of the troop?" Daniel seemingly complained to thin air.

"Did you seriously just criticise the family business, Tadayoshi? Dishonour upon you and your cows." She mockingly pointed her accusing finger at him. She laughed it off as he simply slapped her hand away and went to the door. His hand hovered over the handle briefly, too brief for Miku who just rolled her eyes and pushed him through the door. Daniel shielded his eyes briefly from the change in light levels, the bar hadn't changed one bit since he was last here.

The chandelier that hung from the ceiling had certainly seen better days, many pieces were broken off and there were quite a few lights that were blinking or flat out weren't working. The pillars that held up the first floor balconies that looked down on the ground floor, were suffering from a severe case of dry rot. The piano in the corner by the window had several keys missing while the stool was missing a leg, but that didn't stop the man at the piano, as he kept playing despite the short comings. The bar itself was probably the most well kept out of everything, behind it stood a very well dressed gentleman. Although the man was much older Daniel immediately recognised him.

"Uncle Kuyo!" He called out to him, the gentleman in question looked up from the glass he was polishing to spot his nephew standing at the door with his daughter. The man's smile was some what obscured by his yard moustache, Daniel and Miku has once joked that it made him look a lot like a front man and singer in a 4 member band. It was a warm and heartfelt smile, he immediately placed the glass down and came out from behind the bar, walking over to greet them.

"Well, well, well as I live and breathe. Another Tadayoshi in uniform, eh?" Kuyo admired. "Let me take a look at you both." Both Miku and Daniel, stood straight and saluted. "Don't you both look so professional, Miku, your mother is upstairs why don't you go say hello?"

"Okay papa." She said, giving Daniel a half hearted hug as she left.

"Miku, one of these days you and I have really got to talk about these mixed signals you give people." Daniel joked, she stuck out her tongue and continued upstairs. Kuyo turned to watch his daughter go out of sight and then indicated to the bar. Daniel followed him over and sat on one of the bar stools as Kuyo went back behind the bar and polishing the same glass but not before pouring his nephew something to drink.

"How are you doing, Daniel? Doesn't look like it's been easy, Miku wrote to me while you were both away. I'm sorry about the eye." Kuyo stated to his nephew.

"I'm over the eye, I can still feel it from time to time but it's nothing I can't handle. Doing wise, not much to be brutally honest, been stuck training these past few years. Held on to some feelings for a girl, unsure whether she'll actually return them or not. But I'm glad to be back in civilisation or whatever you'd call this place." He cracked a smile at that last statement. Kuyo laughed.

"Watch it lad, I can just as easily throw you out, if you talk like that again. I hope I get to meet this mystery girl one day." He mockingly suggested.

"Whatever, Kuyo," Daniel brushed off innocently. "Heard from anyone else while I was away, I sure as hell didn't." He took a long, refreshing swig of his beverage.

"Brandon's in town." Kuyo stated matter of factly. Daniel almost chocked as he spat the contents of what was in his mouth all over the bar.

"What?" He managed to say during a coughing fit. "Since when?"

"I thought you were psychic? Shouldn't you know?"

"Mildly, and I don't always see things that are true, I've seen information before that later turned out to be false."

"That just feels like a huge plot contrivance from one of my many novels. In other words, bullshit." Kuyo exasperated, as he started to wipe down the bar in frustration.

"I don't like it either, it's ruined a lot of my life," Daniel said, placing the now empty glass he'd been sipping back down on the bar. "So, where's Brandon at the moment?"

"Upstairs, would you like me to get him for you?"

"As much as I want to say yes, I'll wait till tomorrow, keep him in town if you can."

"He's staying for a week, you've still have time, don't waste something like this. You never know when you'll get a second chance." Daniel was silent for a few moments before rising from the stool.

"Thanks, Uncle Kuyo. I better get going, I'll see you again soon, stay safe." He left giving his uncle a friendly wave. Daniel walked back out the doors and into the night. He shivered slightly at the cold air, sticking his hands in his uniform pocket he set off back to the Garrison to get some rest. Unaware for the most part that Annie was slowly catching him up. She tapped him on the shoulder and he stopped dead, without turning he spoke. "How long have you been following me?" He sounded concerned and defeated at the same time. Annie walked around in front of him so she could look at his face.

"Come with me," she replied completely avoiding the question. She turned and started in a direction away from the Garrison. Daniel swiftly followed her, not asking anymore questions, he figured he'd get some level of answers soon. After following Annie for a while he found himself on a high rooftop over looking the city, Annie had perched herself on the roof and indicated to him to take a seat next to her.

"The night really is beautiful," Daniel said, drinking in the view, "almost makes you forget about the hell going on outside the walls. Almost."

"You're tired of life, but afraid of dying." Annie said bluntly.

"How could you tell?" He answered with a chuckle, "but then again, aren't we all?" The question was rhetorical, but that didn't stop Annie answering it for him.

"Maybe we just need something to live for." Annie said, turning Daniel's face towards her with her hand. "These 3 years have gone by so fast, I wish I had said something sooner." Her hand didn't leave his face, she couldn't as he had placed his own over it. He closed his eyes as held her in the moment.

"Is the answer yes?" Daniel asked her, almost knowing what she was about to say. Although what came next surprised him. A gentle sensation suddenly appeared on his lips. The kiss was delicate, coming naturally, he returned it, becoming deeper. With each long kiss, she would plant a smaller and gentler one on his lips. This would continue on for serval minutes.

"You always knew what the answer would be, Daniel. I'm just sorry it took me so long." Annie smiled at him, a single tear ran down her cheek. Daniel reached out a hand and caught it. They were both silent but happy. Just sitting together was enough. Daniel took her hands in his and brought her closer, he gave her a warm hug.

"This must be the best moment in my sad little life." He cried softly.

"Best moment of your life so far." Annie answered. Daniel let her go but kept an arm around her shoulder as she leaned on him, they both looked up at the night sky. Counting each individual star with her as they sat. Unfortunately for Daniel, something started developing in the corners of his mind.

 _Si vis pacem, para bellum._

The night went by in a complete blur after the newly formed couple's conversation. But the day dragged Daniel had been separated from Annie and was patrolling the streets with Reiner and Bertolt. They were locked in a conversation about their families, although Daniel stayed mostly quiet, occasionally making a remark to still feel like he was part of it. Sighing to himself he placed a finger on his lips and smiled, he could still feel the sensation of Annie's lips on his. As they passed through the market Daniel saw Annie and her patrol pass through on the opposite side, she gave him a gentle smile and wave, Daniel responded the same way.

"You gonna introduce me or not?" Came a voice. As Daniel turned around he saw a short figured boy no more than 14. His emerald green eyes pushing through the mop of dirty blonde hair that dangled in front of his face. "Hello again, brother." Brandon finished with a small smile.

"You know I was wondering when I'd run into you, I saw it coming but I didn't think it'd be this early. Hello Bro." Daniel walked over to his brother giving him a hug as Brandon stepped out from behind a market stall. They parted and began to walk the streets off Trost talking all the way.

"How have you been Brandon?"

"Not bad, could be better. More importantly how have you been and what the fuck did you do to your eye?"

"Long story, short version, couple of dickless sacks of shit and a few mean punches."

"Christ man, but hey it looks cool, so you can sort of take that as a compliment. Landed you with a girl didn't it?"

"If it takes getting beaten up to land a girlfriend, I'd advise staying away from women bro. Leave it to Miku instead but she'd probably kick the crap out of anyone who came on to her." The brothers laughed together as the reconnected after 3 years apart, they eventually came to the main river that ran through the district and took a seat on the steps by the waters edge. Daniel finally asked the question that had been at the back of his mind since they started taking.

"Where's Mum and Dad?" He asked without meeting eyes with Brandon.

"Mum's at home still, nothing's changed on her behalf, but Dad… I don't know, he left for the interior about a year ago and we never saw him since. What is it with our family and running off?" He sighed.

"You're guess is as good as mine." Daniel picked up a couple of loose stones and started skimming them across the river, "The entire world being sterilised. This, and other places like it, are all that's left of the human race. We might hold out for a while, but nothing can stop those creatures. They'll get through in the end; the walls aren't that old. And there's nothing I can do to stop them." He finished that last sentence by gently tossing the last pebble into the water.

Suddenly the sound of thunder and the sight of lighting just outside the wall took everyone's attention. The brothers both looked at the wall as they saw a head rise over the top.

"Brandon. Run." Daniel stated as he walking towards the wall at a high speed, slowly turning into a run.

"Way ahead of you."

Daniel drew his swords from their hilts and fired an anchor towards a rooftop, the ODM gear lifted him off of the ground and quickly reeled him in, firing more he moved towards the wall.

The Colossal Titan had returned.


End file.
